Julep (Continuum-59343921)
Prince Julep of the Musk was the late husband of Lao Kane. He was not of the Royal Dragon Line, but he had been promoted by Prince Garnet to a position like that of a Minister of State. He was of the Tiger Branch of the Musk, but far more intelligent than was usual for that line. Overview Julep was as powerful as the Tigers that had been his female ancestors. He met Lao in a private challenge match and defeated her. Lao found gladly went to the land of the Musk, where she was treated rather well for a time. Women of the Musk Dynasty are usually kept hidden away from the eyes of other men, but rather than throw her into his Harem Julep treated her like a prize. Julep doted upon her lavishly and gave her all manner of finery that for a time made Lao feel like a captive princess. "But alas it was not to remain so forever. The tides of politics and ambition caused Julep to weigh the advantages of having an Amazon of her caliber in his thrall against the advantages that could be gained in using her as a pawn in his personal ambitions. He was advisor to then-Prince Garnet--father of the current Prince Herb--and he had great plans to help his Prince achieve the ages-old dream of conquering China. The political climate in China had shifted with a younger generation clamoring for reform while the entrenched old guard was clinging tenaciously to a withering political system. It was felt that a push in the right direction would shift the Mandate of Heaven from the Communists so someone who could pose as a symbol of fresh leadership and progress. He came to view the Amazons as a key stepping stone to their advance into the limelight. Julep sent a secret message to the Elders oh behalf of Garnet in which he laid out terms for nominal peace that were actually a cover for his real plan of extracting certain concessions. He also dropped broad hints alluding to Lao being advanced in her pregnancy with the suggestion that dire things might happen to her if he was not granted his way. In desperation the Council commissioned an expedition that Cologne voluntarily headed to seek to know of Lao's status, and when she confronted Lord Julep he was all smiles and pleasantry. Prince Garnet and he spoke to the Amazon’s concerns at the time that all of China might be facing troubled times in the wake of the brutal crackdown being experienced in some of the major cities and neighboring Tibet. They outlined a bold scheme to consolidate both Amazon and Musk forces into a mutual defensive pact, citing their shared history and historical cultural ties. It seemed all very well and good on the surface, but beneath Cologne could see their ruthlessness and cunning. They had no interest in sharing power and actually sought to end the rivalry between the clans by absorbing the Nyanichiczu into their orbit. By this time Julep was tiring of his wife and the novelty of their marriage. She was too independent minded for his tastes, too quick to voice her opinions and not content to live entirely as a submissive. So when the time at last came and Prince Garnet did not gain all that he wanted Julep tried to have Lao poisoned after she had given birth. When she proved too strong for the evil medicine he took her child away from Lao's very arms and had her cast into their personal play-chamber...a sort of Medieval dungeon used for interrogating prisoners. There Julep bared the hidden side of his true nature and subjected his wife to unspeakable horrors. Julep was cunning in applying his brand of inhuman abuse leaving no physical evidence on Lao besides the Tiger curse he inflicted on her. which he claimed was the mark of princely affection between consensual adults. Lao endured an almost daily ordeal that must have sapped her resources to their limit, but Lao was still an Amazon, and when she at long last saw what sort of a monster she had married her mind must have snapped because she eventually got loose and killed him, then escaped from the palace before the Prince and his minions could be alerted. Category:Continuum-59343921